The 2015 Chess World Cup has been taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan at roughly the same time as the Rugby World Cup, but there the resemblance ends. The giant 128 player knock out contest drew almost all the world's elite players along with qualifiers from all over world. Oceania Zone Champion, IM Max Illingworth, was seeded 115th and was knocked out in the first round. The cut-throat format of two standard games followed by tie breaks at an ever faster time limit produced many upsets. The two survivors to the final were not among the pre-tournament favourites. The experienced Russian GM Peter Svidler had won the event before in 2011 and on the way to the final put out the top seed Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and young pretenders Wei Yi (China) and Anish Giri (Netherlands). Young Russian GM Sergey Karjakin had an easier route, but had to overcome the on form Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov in the semi final. Both finalists showed signs of nervous exhaustion, having already qualified for the next Candidates tournament to decide the challenger to the World Championship. In the four-game final Svidler took a practically unbeatable 2-0 lead after Karjakin blundered badly pressing for an equalising win in the second game. Svidler returned the favour in game three, and Karjakin won again in game four to level the scores and take the match to rapid/blitz playoffs. The players exchanged wins in pairs of rapid, then allegro games, before Karjakin finally prevailed in the blitz games to win the World Cup final 6-4. Today's game is the first game of the World Cup final. Svidler is White against Karjakin. 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.d3 0-0 6.Nbd2 c5 7.e4 Nc6 8.Re1 b5 9.exd5 Nxd5!?
White's quiet Reti Opening has transposed into a King's Indian Attack, French Variation, as this position can also arise from the French Defence. The last move is a rare continuation that has a good record for Black. White's reply has not been seen in a grandmaster game. 10.Ne4!? Bb7 11.c3 a6 12.a4 b4 13.Bg5!
Posing Black a positional dilemma: either allow the exchange of bishops weakening his advanced queenside pawns, or the game continuation, weakening the central light squares. 13... f6 14.Bd2 e5 15.Rc1 Rf7 16.d4!
A pawn sacrifice to open lines against the loose central cluster of black pieces. 16... bxc3 17.bxc3 cxd4 18.cxd4 Nxd4 19.Nxd4 exd4 20.Qb3 Rb8?!
The crossfire of queen and light-squared bishop ties the black pieces down and provides many tactical possibilities. Black's complacent defence of the attacked bishop allows White to introduce a new pin down the b-file. Instead 20... Qd7! holds the balance. e.g. 21.Nc5 Bxc5 22.Rxc5 Nc3 23.Bxc3 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 dxc3 25.Rxc3 Qb7+ returning the pawn to escape into a rook ending. 21.Rb1! Qd7?
Now the defence is too stretched. The best chance lay in 21... Bf8! when 22.Rec1 Rc8! escapes the pin, though after 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.Nxf6+! Nxf6 25.Bxb7 Qf5 26.f3! (26.Bxa6? Ne4! turns the tables) White has regained his pawn with the better chances. 22.Rec1 Qe6
There is no good defence to White's next, concentrating force against the central knight. 23.Nc5 Bxc5 24.Rxc5 Rd8 25.Ba5 Rd6 26.Qc4!
Winning a piece due to the unstoppable threat 27.Rxb7! 26... Nc3
Achieving a couple of spite checks, but 26... d3 27.Rxb7! Rxb7 28.Bxd5 Rxd5 29.Rxd5 was hopeless. 27.Rxb7 Qe1+ 28.Bf1 Ne2+ 29.Qxe2 Resigns
After 29... Qxe2 White saves his rook by the zwischenzug 30.Rc8+ Rf8 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Bxe2 remaining two bishops up.
Karjakin prevails in World Cup marathon
Problem: Black to play and mate in 5.
The 2015 Chess World Cup has been taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan at roughly the same time as the Rugby World Cup, but there the resemblance ends. The giant 128 player knock out contest drew almost all the world's elite players along with qualifiers from all over world. Oceania Zone Champion, IM Max Illingworth, was seeded 115th and was knocked out in the first round.
The cut-throat format of two standard games followed by tie breaks at an ever faster time limit produced many upsets. The two survivors to the final were not among the pre-tournament favourites. The experienced Russian GM Peter Svidler had won the event before in 2011 and on the way to the final put out the top seed Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and young pretenders Wei Yi (China) and Anish Giri (Netherlands). Young Russian GM Sergey Karjakin had an easier route, but had to overcome the on form Ukrainian GM Pavel Eljanov in the semi final.
Both finalists showed signs of nervous exhaustion, having already qualified for the next Candidates tournament to decide the challenger to the World Championship. In the four-game final Svidler took a practically unbeatable 2-0 lead after Karjakin blundered badly pressing for an equalising win in the second game. Svidler returned the favour in game three, and Karjakin won again in game four to level the scores and take the match to rapid/blitz playoffs. The players exchanged wins in pairs of rapid, then allegro games, before Karjakin finally prevailed in the blitz games to win the World Cup final 6-4.
Today's game is the first game of the World Cup final. Svidler is White against Karjakin.
1.Nf3 Nf6
2.g3 d5
3.Bg2 e6
4.0-0 Be7
5.d3 0-0
6.Nbd2 c5
7.e4 Nc6
8.Re1 b5
9.exd5 Nxd5!?
White's quiet Reti Opening has transposed into a King's Indian Attack, French Variation, as this position can also arise from the French Defence. The last move is a rare continuation that has a good record for Black. White's reply has not been seen in a grandmaster game.
10.Ne4!? Bb7
11.c3 a6
12.a4 b4
13.Bg5!
Posing Black a positional dilemma: either allow the exchange of bishops weakening his advanced queenside pawns, or the game continuation, weakening the central light squares.
13... f6
14.Bd2 e5
15.Rc1 Rf7
16.d4!
A pawn sacrifice to open lines against the loose central cluster of black pieces.
16... bxc3
17.bxc3 cxd4
18.cxd4 Nxd4
19.Nxd4 exd4
20.Qb3 Rb8?!
The crossfire of queen and light-squared bishop ties the black pieces down and provides many tactical possibilities. Black's complacent defence of the attacked bishop allows White to introduce a new pin down the b-file. Instead 20... Qd7! holds the balance. e.g. 21.Nc5 Bxc5 22.Rxc5 Nc3 23.Bxc3 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 dxc3 25.Rxc3 Qb7+ returning the pawn to escape into a rook ending.
21.Rb1! Qd7?
Now the defence is too stretched. The best chance lay in 21... Bf8! when 22.Rec1 Rc8! escapes the pin, though after 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.Nxf6+! Nxf6 25.Bxb7 Qf5 26.f3! (26.Bxa6? Ne4! turns the tables) White has regained his pawn with the better chances.
22.Rec1 Qe6
There is no good defence to White's next, concentrating force against the central knight.
23.Nc5 Bxc5
24.Rxc5 Rd8
25.Ba5 Rd6
26.Qc4!
Winning a piece due to the unstoppable threat 27.Rxb7!
26... Nc3
Achieving a couple of spite checks, but 26... d3 27.Rxb7! Rxb7 28.Bxd5 Rxd5 29.Rxd5 was hopeless.
27.Rxb7 Qe1+
28.Bf1 Ne2+
29.Qxe2 Resigns
After 29... Qxe2 White saves his rook by the zwischenzug 30.Rc8+ Rf8 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Bxe2 remaining two bishops up.
1-0
Solution: 1... h3+ 2.Kh2 Bg1+ 3.Kh1 Bb6+ 4.Kh2 Bxc7+ 5.Rd6 Bxd6#